Posts tagged success

Struggling With Social?

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Using social media for business? Struggling?

Who doesn’t?

We all can’t be like Gary Vaynerchuk and Neil Patel Digital overnight. But here are some simple rules to help you.

1. Video & Imagery is King! Sharing Sucks! All social media platforms want original content on their site…not shared from another site. Videos (Live #1) are top and then pictures (post the picture first) are second.

2. Engagement keeps it alive! Getting people to Like, Comment, & Share pushes your post into other’s feeds, so you reach an audience you’re not connected with. I had a simple update post that went viral because of this and had over 41K views on LinkedIn.

3. Connection Power works! Obviously, the more people that are connected to you and follow you, the more people see what you post. Connection can be through Business Pages and Groups too. Always be building your connections.

4. Recency Importance! Always try to post when YOUR audience is reading their news feed. It’s more likely to be seen. The longer it’s out there, the less people will see it.

5. Monitor your performance! Pay attention to anything that the platform will provide you with as performance metrics. Watch what works and doesn’t work.

Do you have another suggestion? Comment below 🔊👇

Frustrated with the Hiring Process?

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As a professional coach and mentor I often work with people who are trying to find a job in the corporate world. They are often frustrated with the hiring process and struggle.

One of the most frustrating things is being declined without even a phone call.

Here’s some situational advice…

Large companies often post jobs externally and internally at the same time. However, they will often look at internal candidates first before they look at external. If they find someone that fits internally, they will hire them first.

If you are looking for jobs on search engines, like indeed and LinkedIn, chances are that job has been posted for a while and the company paid to expand the search. People who have a job alert set up with that company posted long before you did.

The most important thing in job hunting is to create and leverage a network in the companies you want to work for. If you don’t have strong, personal connections then you are fighting with those that do.

Not tailoring your resume? Shame on you! You have to adjust your resume for every job. Make it easy for recruiters and boolean search engines to pick your resume out of the stack.

Finding a job is a full time job in itself. Align yourself with an expert who has successfully sat on the job search side and hiring side. Hiring is a process…once you understand it, you can beat it and not let it beat you!

Thinking About the …verts

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On Thursdays, I always like to expand my mind by exploring interesting thoughts. Most people know what an Introvert and Extrovert are. Most people think, if you’re an Introvert, you’re shy, and, if you’re an Extrovert, your outgoing.

Studies have shown that is not necessarily true. See, what you’re seeing are behavior traits that someone on the extreme spectrums might exhibit, but not necessarily true of either type. In fact, what has been learned is that what these terms really mean, is where you derive your energy from.

Introverts draw energy from within and being around others and interacting can drain their energy. They often need to go home and relax with a good book, music, or a hobby to recharge.

Extroverts are kind of like energy vampires. Although they don’t bite anyone, they draw their energy from crowds and interaction. Thus, they always seem to be the life of the party.

For years, I would score as an Introvert. I took the personality tests many times over the years and until about 1995 or so, I was an Introvert. Even as a kid I was considered shy.

Can we change?

I started to realize how I acted in group situations. I was the person in the corner of the room that had his arms crossed and a “don’t come near me” look on my face. I probably kept people at bay with my posture and look because I subconsciously knew the interaction drained me. The thing is, I was beginning to not like that in me. I wanted to be more engaged and didn’t really understand why people wouldn’t talk to me like they interacted with others.

I learned one thing…smile!

I know it seems silly, but I stopped being that standoffish guy in the corner with a “don’t you dare” look on his face, and I started smiling. Smiling made all the difference in the world! People approached me! People talked to me!

Today, I test as an Extrovert all the time. And a strong ‘E’ too. However, I’ll tell people I’m just a Closet Introvert. I’m slow to respond in discussion situations (until you get me going). Introverts tend to think about what they’re going to say before they say it, whereas an Extrovert verbalizes their thoughts as they work through them. I can be very Introverted in that manner. Also, I tend to enjoy group interaction, although it can take me a little to build up steam to interact. However, I find it can be relatively draining afterward. This is especially true of teaching and speaking situations. Odd, because I love doing both nowadays!

Lately, the terms Ambivert and Omnivert have started to appear. An Ambivert is someone that exhibits both traits of Introvert and Extrovert — perhaps this might be me? An Omnivert is someone that normally acts one way — introverted or extroverted — but will act in the total opposite manner when in stressful or special situations. That friend that always hangs out and parties as an Extrovert, but then totally disappear as an Introvert when they start dating — they might be an Omnivert.

All of these observations are very interesting.

Do you know what you have tested out as?

Do you agree with your personality result?

Do you exhibit any of the Ambivert or Omnivert traits?

Things that make you go, “hmmm,” on a Thoughtful Thursday!

You Need A Career Coach

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Out of work and struggling to find a job?

Looking for another job, but still working today?

You’re not alone these days. The job market has improved and people are finding it harder and harder to even get a response from companies when they post for jobs.

Let’s face it, getting a new job is a fulltime job, especially when you’re currently out of work.

As a Coach that specializes in this area, these are the things I tell my clients to consider:

🔭 Research. You have to research all the companies you are interested and the types of jobs they offer. This will give you an idea of levels, requirements, and opportunities. When I look, I tailor every resume to the job. This means fully understanding their mission, vision, culture, and the challenges they might be facing.

🚧 Construct. You need to build your “resume fodder” that best displays your talents and work history. You create a general resume and additional material to use for responding to each requisition individually. Spent a long time in one job or had a period out of work? Consider a Functional Resume over Chronological — I spent 21 years in the Air Force and it was easier to depict my capabilities functionally than chronologically when I retired from active duty.

☎️ Network. Establish at least one strong face-to-face connection in each of the companies that you’re interested in applying with.  You need to leverage this internal connection every time you apply for a job with that company. My first job, out of the Air Force, happened because someone put my resume in the system — I didn’t even apply! These people can get you in front of hiring managers, tell you about jobs that haven’t even been posted, and possibly can get you details about the job and challenges that area of the company is facing.

💻 Respond.  You need to have alerts set up with companies you like and you need to be on jobs systems like Indeed (#1), LinkedIn (need a Premium account), Glassdoor, etc. every day! As soon as a job is posted that you like, do two things: 1) Tailor your resume and apply immediately. 2) Contact your contact(s) in the company with the job requisition you applied for and a copy of the resume–they can probably figure out who the hiring manager is. In my last company, three times I sponsored someone for a job and they never showed up in front of the hiring manager. Because I had referred them, they did a by-name request and pulled the person into the interview process — all three were hired!

🗣 Interview. All too often, people who get to the interview stage, blow it! If you make it this far, now you are only competing with an average of two to eight people. This is your opportunity. You need to be fully prepared and practiced or you will not perform well. As a hiring manager for years, I’ve seen it all — even one interview where a fellow interviewer was drawing a train going off the tracks on his interview sheet. Each job has it’s own best approach, and you have to plan for it.

🎀 Follow-up. With ever interview, you need to “tie a bow on it.” At the end of the interview, if you want the job, Say It! Few people ask for the job in the interview. After the interview is over, follow-up via email and/or LinkedIn with a thank you…even of you don’t want this job. I’ve had interviews for jobs where I really wasn’t interested or the best fit. However, that didn’t mean I wasn’t a good fit for another opportunity they hadn’t even posted yet! Also, thank the Recruiter that worked with you. They know about all the job openings and might “keep you warm on the stove” if you’re someone they like.

If you’re struggling with finding that next job, consider hiring a career coach. Someone that has been on both sides of the hiring aisle and can really help you. Typically, for normal business professional positions, a coach costs about $100 to $200 an hour and will charge an hour or two of work on your resume. Executive hiring coaches typically charge up to ten times this. Mainly because the salary range and bonus/benefit structure is so much more lucrative. They also have a network and connections that make them very effective.

If you’re looking for a career coach, I work with people mainly looking for business professional and Director / Manager positions. I’m very successful at working with these people to get them hired.

Check out my pages on LinkedIn or Facebook: Crosscutter Enterprises or www.crossctr.com for more information.

Your Number One Motivation

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What is your number one #motivation?

Personally, I am most #motivated by helping others achieve #successes that they weren’t able to achieve themselves.

Being a #success #incubator sometimes means that someone’s success isn’t always easily attributed to you. A few months ago, some people I worked with started talking about building a #consulting approach to their work.

A year prior to that, I had led our team down that journey…moving from an #intakementality to a #consultingmentality (finding and creating the work ourselves). Someone I worked with asked me if it bothered me that someone was taking credit for my ideas and efforts without attributing me for the effort.

I wasn’t bothered at all.

See, it was #motivating to me to see them moving in a #positivedirection. I know and they know where they got the #idea…it’s not necessary for everyone to know.

Recently, I was telling someone that very few people will take the time to #recognize people publicly for what they’ve done. On #socialmedia, few will write a #review or #recommendation, even when you do a great job.

It’s important to be able to pull #motivation out of something #extrinsically versus feeding off the #intrinsic parts of it.

So, what #motivates you?

Blogging Success Ideas

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Are you a #blogger or interested in social media #blogging? Let’s take this Sunday to discuss some Blogging #Success Ideas…please add your own ideas in the comments below 👇

#1 Always load a #video or #picture first. That way, if you use a link, like www.johnknotts-author.com in your post, it won’t automatically create an image link. Posts with videos and pictures get more #visibility with #socialmedia #algorithms.

#2 #Connect #engaging people to your #blog with the @ sign. When posting on your personal profile, your can connect people you respect, like @Matt Scherer, @Pat Whitty, @Joseph Toomer, and @Steve Taubman, this post pops up in their notifications. If they’re engaging in social media, they’ll chime in. You can also #connect business pages like Crosscutter Enterprises and Microsoft to drive people to a page. If posting on your Business Page, it is harder to take people.

#3 #Hashtag strategies work well–really well on #LinkedIn. You put them at the bottom, but you can also tag them right in the #post. They create search links that can connect like material. Use them wisely.

#4 Provide a #calltoaction in your post. Ask #readers to do something, like add their ideas, #like and #share, click the link, etc.

#5 LinkedIn only gives you 1,300 characters … use them wisely. Facebook, however, give you tons of room. However, make sure you make the post enagaging at the start of it’s long so people will click the #readmore link.

Your turn, go…

#incubators #business #mentoring #coaching

Share Your Success

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“Seventy percent of success in life is showing up.” – Woody Allen

As we step into the last week of February, what is the one thing you most want to accomplish this week?

For me, this week, I start teaching tomorrow my first business class with Hallmark University — Business Intelligence and Analytics. It’s both an in-person and online course. I want to make this an effective and impactful experience for the students.

So, my one this is: To Deliver Value This Week!

Share with me and everyone else your one thing this week! Let’s make it happen!!!

Do you know where you want to be…strategically?

Meandering Genius

Where are you in your career? Are you happy or is there somewhere else you would like to be? Would you like to make more money, have more responsibility, or have a specific job title that you don’t have today?

If you answer yes to these things…have you given thought on how to get there or are you just waiting for it to happen?

Obviously doing good work in your current job will get you noticed, but it won’t definitely get you where you want to go. You need to think about how you will strategically achieve what you want.

In the Air Force, time in grade and time in service were two of the primary factors that drove your promotion timeline. Once you made it to E-4, you had to start testing for the next rank. Even with the test, time added points to your overall promotion score. If your score met or exceeded the cut off then you were promoted. My first two times testing for E-5, the cut off was so high that it didn’t matter if I aced the test, I wouldn’t have enough points to get promoted because of high cut off scores. Once you start testing for the senior enlisted ranks, they introduce a board score that takes in account many additional factors than just time, test, and evaluation scores.

The reason that I explain this system is to provide an example of how one might strategically achieve a senior rank in the Air Force even when first starting out. Obviously, you can’t jump from E-1 to E-9, but you know when you are eligible for each promotion and you are in control of studying. With proper planning, you can be prepared to move to the next level. Ten years before you start testing for senior NCO ranks, you start planning out your career with special duty assignments, volunteering, and trying to get key jobs and assignments. This way, your board score, which is based off the last ten years of service, reflects well. If you apply this same mindset from the start of your career, you open yourself up to the possibility of below the zone promotion to E-4 and potential STEP to E-5 or E-6.

If you know where you want to be, or how much you want to make, what are the steps that it will take you to get there? What experience will you have to gain, what education and training do you need, what line of promotions do you need to get there?

When you have someone sitting at the bottom of the pile and they want a corner office, they simply don’t apply for those positions and expect to get them. If you look at the qualifications of the position and say to yourself, “I meet these,” that doesn’t necessarily mean you are really eligible for that role.

What are the promotion steps between where you are today and where you want to be? You need to navigate these promotion steps one at a time, with the emphasis of building your experience, credibility, and capability along the route. If you are coming into an organization with a career under your belt, there is a possibility of hopping more aggressively, but you need to learn the business and be respected.

Things to think about when strategically planning your career path:

1. Write down each promotion step to your desired level.

2. At each level, list out position requirements like education, certifications, training, and experience.

3. As these positions rise the ladder, consider the level of management and leadership they have–the span of control they have. Think about how you can gather this type of experience through something like volunteering.

4. Build a network within your company that will help you as you grow. Look for mentors and contacts that can provide advice and guidance along the way.

5. Develop your business acumen based on where you are headed.

6. Plan your route and specifically look for opportunities elsewhere in your organization that will broaden your skills and challenge your capabilities.

7. Understand the time requirements or expectations for each step along your career ladder. Plan for that and work in things like appropriate education and training along the route.

8. Look for opportunities to excel in your current job, like special projects and assignments that show your willingness to be challeneged.

9. Every day, try to do the best job you can in the job you are in today.

10. Don’t get discouraged. Just because you have a plan doesn’t mean that it’s going to happen the way you planned it. Mike Tyson said, “Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face.” Life will punch you in the face…learn to roll with the punches.